behind the screen

8/8/88

Just recently, there was a lot of discussion out there. We need more night games! How could you expect us to win when we play so many games during the day?

Well …

Remember all the angst and torment? How could the Cubs even think about adding light standards to Wrigley Field?

I make myself sound real old with this next sentence. But we’re now on generations – yes, generations, with a plural “s” – that don’t know what it was like to play major league baseball solely during daylight hours.

Today – August 8 – is the anniversary. The date still rolls off the tongue … 8/8/88.

And I remember it like it was … well … 29 years ago today. Wow, I do feel old.

Wrigley Field managed to survive almost 75 full years without lights. It has managed to survive 28 with lights, so I guess night baseball didn’t ruin the venerable park.

It’s not possible to forget all the buildup to that night.

I remember the cheers going up-and-down the Wrigley Field halls when the City Council approved the addition of lights. The vote took place in January – during my first month full-time with the Cubs. Welcome to the team; it will never be the same.

I remember being called into my boss’ office early in the process. Ned Colletti, the department director, told me I would be privy to some important information during this whole process – and what I heard was to stay in my head. Being able to keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth closed was a great trait to have in that profession.

I remember getting the plush assignment of being spokesman-on-site when the equipment was first placed on the roof. There’s nothing like watching helicopters hover directly above you carrying steel girders to get you to question your career choice.

I remember all of the media outlets reaching out to try to get credentials for the game. This was 1988 … no email, no text, no online applications. Phone call after phone call after phone call. “Media Relations, this is Chuck. We’ll need a credential request in writing from your sports editor. Please send it to 1060 W. Addison Street, Chicago, 60613.”

I remember getting rewarded with a road trip to Philadelphia and New York – my gift for doing things right during the whole installation process. For those of you keeping score at home, I was sent out-of-town the week before the first night game. I was always a team player.

And how could I forget the sights and sounds of the ballpark?

It was blistering hot. Uncomfortably hot. You name it … hot, sticky, humid.

I remember talking to Jack Brickhouse on the field. Jack and I had spoken at length about what lights would do for Wrigley Field during our time on the January Cubs Caravan. He was a great resource for me in learning about Phil Wrigley – and how close the former Cubs owner had come to adding lights during the World War II years.

I remember being just a few feet away from 91-year-old Harry Grossman during pregame ceremonies. Harry – who at the time was the oldest living season ticketholder – had been chosen to flip the ceremonial light switch.

I remember watching Ernie Banks – the always cool Mr. Cub – and seeing that the heat was getting to him; he was sweating through his sport coat.

I remember how crowded the tiny press box was. At that point in time, there were more media members in attendance for that game than any non-crown jewel game in baseball history.

I remember the buzz in the park. It was the first time I had ever heard that “buzzing sound” at Wrigley Field.

I remember the feeling that this must be what a World Series game feels like. Well, at least a playoff game.

And then the game started.

I remember all the flash bulbs when Rick Sutcliffe threw the game’s first pitch.

I remember all the flash bulbs when Sutcliffe threw the second pitch.

I remember the park going from buzz to almost dead silence when Sutcliffe’s fourth pitch was deposited into the bleachers by Philadelphia’s Phil Bradley.

I remember the roar of the crowd when the Cubs answered back in the bottom of the first inning – when Ryne Sandberg hit a two-run homer. The buzz had returned.

I remember security escorting Morganna the Kissing Bandit off the field.

I remember the sky getting more-and-more ominous – and the eventual eruption of a torrential downpour. It was Mother Nature’s way of saying there shouldn’t be night baseball at Wrigley Field, everyone said.

I remember Les Lancaster, Jody Davis, Greg Maddux and Al Nipper sliding on the tarp and entertaining the fans.

I remember waiting … and waiting … and waiting … and waiting … for a game that never resumed. The first night game officially didn’t take place. It was a do-over.

Thankfully, the powers-that-be for the Cubs had already selected August 9 as a night game – as an alternative date in the event August 8 was postponed. Mercifully, the powers-that-be in the meteorology division didn’t interfere with that affair, and the first official night game took place without a hitch.

Happy 29th Anniversary to night baseball at Wrigley Field. In the immortal words of the late, great Harry Grossman, “Let there be lights!”

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